True optimization begins with a thoughtful look at the data

By Marc Hummel

March 16, 2015

Matty Wishnow, founder & CEO of Clearhead (a Monetate Certified Partner), recently posted a though-provoking piece on their company blog about website testing and optimization. It’s their take on a point and a question we bring up a lot: Website optimization and testing are great, but are your efforts aligned to real, tangible business goals? What else can you do?

Just because you’re A/B testing does not mean you are optimizing. Optimization is a holistic approach to UX, Product Development, Digital Content, and Promotions that contemplates the validation of all hypotheses, using a variety of tactics, including split testing, usability testing, pre-post-analysis, and segmentation or personalization.
Ultimately, I believe we deserve to see how data can do more than redecorate; it can deliver broad and continuous improvement. More than reporting on monthly or quarterly KPIs, data is for optimizing outcomes. Data answer the questions we pose. It validates our hypotheses. It propels us forward. And, in 2015, with testing, personalization, and analytics software more supportable and powerful than ever, we have the opportunity to optimize quickly. And yet, most people I talk to still feel like they’re falling short. And looking back.

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Marc Hummel is a former Content Marketing Associate for Monetate. He's also a part-time grad student at the University of Pennsylvania. He enjoys biking to work, reading, listening to podcasts/music, and eating ice cream. Usually not all at once.
For more about Marc, go here.